An irradiation device for heavy-ion therapy is known for example from German Patent Application DE 198 35 209 A1.
In radiation therapy, an exact aiming of a radiation beam at a target tissue to be treated is of great significance and importance. As such, radiation therapy devices are generally combined with diagnostic devices. For example, a medical irradiation system known from German Patent Application DE 35 02 776 A1 includes a simulator with an X-ray tube and an image amplifier for substantially precise positioning of a patient to be examined. In this German Patent Application, a stationary linear accelerator that emits corpuscular rays is for example provided as the radiation source. An additional X-ray emitter, which is provided for diagnostic applications, can be positioned as needed in front of the linear accelerator, or between the linear accelerator and the patient. Before the irradiation begins, the X-ray emitter is removed back out of this position. Alternatively, in the known system, both the linear accelerator and the X-ray emitter may be stationary, but the patient is moved from a diagnosis position to a therapy position. This movement of the patient, however, is a potential source of geometrical inaccuracies in irradiation therapy.